My wife recently had blood tests at 15 weeks and it has thrown up a high risk level of Downs (1 in 50). Standard for her age is 1 in 320.

We have been wondering what to do and have been thinking of having an amnio test done to find out more accurately if there are any issues.

Has anyone experienced this test as we are aware there is a 1% chance of miscarriage - are we doing the right thing ??

We are majorly stressed and I am of the thinking we are better finding out or we will be worrying all the way through the pregnancy.

Thanks

Assume the worst; that your child will have Down's syndrome.

How important is it to know this in advance? Are there any preparations you need to make before the baby arrives, that you can't just make once it's here? Or, would you prefer to just abort it and try again?

If the answer to both questions is "no," I can't see any reason for taking the test and risking a miscarriage.

(The latter question is likely to spark a vitriolic debate on morals and abortion, buy the place for that debate is not here. The point here is not to discuss whether or not you should abort a child which is going to have some physical drawback or other; it's merely to observe that, unless you are going to, there's no point risking a miscarriage in order to find out.)

(The latter question is likely to spark a vitriolic debate on morals and abortion, buy the place for that debate is not here. The point here is not to discuss whether or not you should abort a child which is going to have some physical drawback or other; it's merely to observe that, unless you are going to, there's no point risking a miscarriage in order to find out.)

I completely agree with this.

I had an amnio with my first child, my risk was 1 in 198, as soon as I'd done it I regretted it and hated myself for it for the above reason.

Good luck and fingers crossed.

I would mirror the above, really, the answer lies in what you intend to do if you do find out that your baby has downs syndrome. If you aren't going to considr terminating the pregnancy, then are you prepared to risk a miscarriage for the sake of possible peace of mind?

How much support and advice have you received from the midwife/obstetrician?

I'm with Heyesey with this one too. If you wouldn't abort a baby for whatever health risk is being tested, then why take the risk of miscarriage that comes with the test (especially as there is still a 49/50 chance that the baby is just fine).

Assume the worst; that your child will have Down's syndrome.

How important is it to know this in advance? Are there any preparations you need to make before the baby arrives, that you can't just make once it's here? Or, would you prefer to just abort it and try again?

If the answer to both questions is "no," I can't see any reason for taking the test and risking a miscarriage.

(The latter question is likely to spark a vitriolic debate on morals and abortion, buy the place for that debate is not here. The point here is not to discuss whether or not you should abort a child which is going to have some physical drawback or other; it's merely to observe that, unless you are going to, there's no point risking a miscarriage in order to find out.)

Hmmmm.... well I asked myself this question and realised that although I would probably not have aborted I would have wanted to plan for my child be they diabled or not.

I had the amnio and did not regret it. Indeed it brought me relief and reduced my stress levels.

I had the amnio too when I was pregnant with my daughter - 7 years ago. My risk was 1:100 and had the amnio come back positive, I would definitely have terminated.

Unlike Heyesey, I think it's best to know, it at least gives you chance to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally, if you decide to continue the pregnancy, regardless of the result.

The triple test yields a very high rate of false positives. I know loads of women who had amnios as a result of the triple test, none had a baby with chromosomal abnormalities and none miscarried.

I think there was a thread on this fairly recently, it may be worth while looking at that and seeing people's experiences.

Good luck.

Hmmmm.... well I asked myself this question and realised that although I would probably not have aborted I would have wanted to plan for my child be they diabled or not.


There may well be good reasons for wanting - or needing - to know as soon as possible. I just don't know what they are, since I have no cihldren, disabled or otherwise, and I've never had to deal with this situation.


If you don't have a good reason, don't do the test.

I appreciate that there are good reasons to know if the baby has downs syndrome or not, it's just weighing up whether those reasons are important enough to risk a miscarriage?

Having met couples (through my work) who have had babies with downs syndrome (or other disabilities for that matter) with no forewarning whatsoever, I agree it is best to be prepared, but ask those same parents with a baby in their arms if they would have risked the baby's life for that preperation, and I'm guessing many of them would reply no.

I too had the amnio test when I was having my little girl three years ago, my risk was really, really high, 1 in 10
I was in such a state worrying about it. Thankfully everything was fine but with that result I just couldn't rest.
Like people have already said it really depends on how you would handle the results if they came back positive.

To go back to what I said earlier, I'm interested to know how much support/advice the OP and his wife are getting.

Many parents say afterwards that they rushed into making a choice about having the risky amnio procedure, or even terminating the pregnancy without really knowing much about downs syndrome, or what having a baby/child with downs syndrome might be like.

There may well be good reasons for wanting - or needing - to know as soon as possible. I just don't know what they are, since I have no cihldren, disabled or otherwise, and I've never had to deal with this situation.


If you don't have a good reason, don't do the test.

It is not simply a case of planning in terms of what things you need. In terms of material goods a disabled baby has pretty much the same needs as any baby.

In fact in my case it was more about mentally preparing myself for a disabled child. Researching the disability and learning how to deal with it.

I was a high risk at 38 years old. Plus it was my first (and sadly only) child. Another thing I had to consider was who would look after him/her when I am dead and gone. I would hate to think that they would end up not being cared for properly. All of these things need to be planned for. If you have a few months warning it can help a lot.

Fortunately for me all was well. I have no regrets about having the test.

You both need to weigh up the risks with the benefits. How would you feel if the baby was miscarried as a result of the test? How would you feel if the baby had downs syndrome? Or if you spent the next few months not knowing?

Having had 3 miscarriages, the risk was FAR too high for me. But I would have continued with the pregnancy, so knowing one way or the other wouldn't have dramatically changed things for me.

i didn't even have the blood tests as i knew the results didn't matter to me. you have to decide what a result either way would mean to you.

the way i think about it is that there is a 2% chance of having a baby with downs syndrome and a 1% chance of having a miscarriage. those odds just didnt weigh up for me. i could live with a baby with downs, im not sure i could live with myself if i decided to have the test and then miscarried.

i didn't even have the blood tests as i knew the results didn't matter to me. you have to decide what a result either way would mean to you.

the way i think about it is that there is a 2% chance of having a baby with downs syndrome and a 1% chance of having a miscarriage. those odds just didnt weigh up for me. i could live with a baby with downs, im not sure i could live with myself if i decided to have the test and then miscarried.

Turn it round the other way, there's a 98% chance that the baby will be fine and a 99% chance of noit having a miscarriage.

Turn it round the other way, there's a 98% chance that the baby will be fine and a 99% chance of noit having a miscarriage.

its the same thing. the odds were just not high enough for me to need to know. i wouldnt have had a termination either way so i didnt see the point in even having the blood test.

noone can really help anyone make that decision as it is really personal and depends on how you would feel about a positive result, and how much you would worry not knowing.

just don't rush into anything and ask questions if theres anything you're not sure about. xx

Its been three years since my last child but as she was born just a few weeks shy of my 40th birthday, my doctor encouraged me to have an amnio. I refused as the outcome wouldn't have made any difference in my decision to have the child and it would have made for a very long and stressful wait for the baby which wouldn't have been good for either of us.

If I remember correctly, there was a non invasive test that could be done in conjunction with the blood test. It was sort of an ultrasound on steroids, if you will, and a trained specialist could read the results and make a pretty accurate estimation of the possibility of Down's. It had to do with the size of the neck, thickness of it I think, that is a pretty clear indicator but it has to be done at a precise moment in development. You might as your doctor if you are able to do that test. I opted not to, as again, it would make no difference in my decision.

For me, I just wouldn't be able to take the risk of miscarriage with an amnio and if I had an amnio and did miscarry, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

My sister had this test done as her Aunt has Down's Syndrome. As Heyesey says though it depends on what you intend to do with the news when you receive it. Can you speak more with the doctors about this? Personally, it's not a test I'd have done, but I can totally understand your reasonings for wanting it.

I wish you luck.

I'll request that this be moved to parenting, you may have more chance of responses there.

Assume the worst; that your child will have Down's syndrome.

How important is it to know this in advance? Are there any preparations you need to make before the baby arrives, that you can't just make once it's here? Or, would you prefer to just abort it and try again?

If the answer to both questions is "no," I can't see any reason for taking the test and risking a miscarriage.

(The latter question is likely to spark a vitriolic debate on morals and abortion, buy the place for that debate is not here. The point here is not to discuss whether or not you should abort a child which is going to have some physical drawback or other; it's merely to observe that, unless you are going to, there's no point risking a miscarriage in order to find out.)

Good post Heyesey - I second everything that you have put.

I have very recently had an amnio @ Jessops. In my case, even though I have found out that my baby hasn't got Downs, it has left me quite traumatised. We found out on a Monday evening when my husband came home from work to find a note through the door from the midwife saying that the blood test had shown that I was at a high risk of having a baby with Downs syndrome and an appointment had been made for us the following day to "discuss our options". This really wasn't the best way to find out this type of news, I still can't quite believe she just left a note.

Arrived at the Jessops the next day to find a massively over-booked clinic, after 1 1/2 wait for "counselling", the most unsympathetic person (a Midwife) I've ever met took us into a room and after giving us a leaflet asked if if we wanted the amnio or not. She couldn't seem to understand why we so upset and then asked had we thought about what we were going to do if the baby did had Downs - everything was happening so fast. We went ahead and had the amnio straight away, fortunately the Dr who did the procedure was really good and very reassuring, the procedure is not painful but it is quite distressing seeing the baby on the screen thinking that we may be inflicting harm on it.

After I had got the phone-call the following day from the Midwife saying all was ok, everyone who knew what had happened was saying it was wonderful news and to put it behind me but the fact is I can't. I can honestly say it was the 3 most traumatic days of my life, I did not sleep or eat and spent the entire time in tears. I still think about it all the time.

My advice would be to talk about it between yourselves first, think about what you would do if the baby had Downs - would you still go ahead with the pregnancy? And do you own research - there are loads of forums on the internet where people have discussed their experiences (I found after the event). It's a real rollercoaster and no-one can have any idea of what you're going through unless they've been through the same thing. I do feel reassured that the baby is ok but I will never forget the experience. Hope this is helpful in some way. I wish you all the best whatever you decide.
Em

Its been three years since my last child but as she was born just a few weeks shy of my 40th birthday, my doctor encouraged me to have an amnio. I refused as the outcome wouldn't have made any difference in my decision to have the child and it would have made for a very long and stressful wait for the baby which wouldn't have been good for either of us.

If I remember correctly, there was a non invasive test that could be done in conjunction with the blood test. It was sort of an ultrasound on steroids, if you will, and a trained specialist could read the results and make a pretty accurate estimation of the possibility of Down's. It had to do with the size of the neck, thickness of it I think, that is a pretty clear indicator but it has to be done at a precise moment in development. You might as your doctor if you are able to do that test. I opted not to, as again, it would make no difference in my decision.

For me, I just wouldn't be able to take the risk of miscarriage with an amnio and if I had an amnio and did miscarry, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

Cotton Top, I think the scan-test you are referring to is the "Nuchal fold" test

http://www.mothers35plus.co.uk/tests2.htm

Thanks everyone and especially EmmaA.

We have decided to go through with the amnio and have an appointment on Thursday morning.

EmmaA - we had a similar experience with our midwife. My wife had tests a week and a half ago. At the time she told them we were going away last week and left her mobile number with them in case there were any issues. The said midwife came to our house on the Sunday while we were away and it took her until the Thursday to get in touch saying "I have been trying to get in touch with you all week' - obviously not too hard as it took 5 days to phone our mobile. Obviously this put quite a lot of stress on us on our holiday especially how the midwife talked to my wife.

We had our appointment at Jessops this morning but the midwife we saw did'nt really offer any info we had'nt already found out on the net, although she was nice enough.

I think we have the top guy to do the amnio so hopefully all will go well. In answer to a few other posts I am very undecided what to do if there are problems.

First of all, speaking from the point of view of someone who had a high triple test result, please don't kill yourself with stress. Remember:

The abnormal result rate for this test is very high (something like 80+%)...I don't say 'false positive', because you have not tested positive for anything, just had a result that warns of a high percentage of RISK.

You do have the option of a Nuchal Fold scan, before you consider amniocentesis. I do not know how reliable it is, but it is worth looking into. Had my result been for Downs and not Spina Bifida, I was all ready to have the nuchal fold scan.

Do not be rushed...take time to think, ask for advice, but do not be pushed into making a decision all in one day.
I have plenty of praise for the FMU, where you were sent, because they took great care of me in the longer term, but I will agree that in the first instance they were pretty rushed and not terribly helpful (and yes, they seemed to have trouble with how upset I was). Often throughout pregnancy you have to remind healthcare professionals that this is not an everyday thing for you, that you need explanations and you need time.

Talk through with each other how you BOTH feel about all the options. You will need to be able to support each other.

Do some research. Knowledge is power.

Good luck, and I hope all turns out well for you.

Oh, and there are plenty of people here to talk to, take advantage of that. :)

Edit: oops, just a bit late, as you've made your decision, but most of it still applies. Again, good luck.

My sister was told there was a 1 in 20 chance of downs but she told them there was no way she was having any tests, and her baby is fine, as she puts it tests are often wrong and she will have what God gives her.

When I found out I was pregnant I was sent an appointment for Jessops. Went along to find out it was a 'counselling appointment' to discuss risks - based entirely on my age (I was told I had a 1 in 4 chance of having a baby with Down's). The nurse was very helpful and spent around an hour telling us all about the different potential abnormalities.

For me, I knew I wouldn't abort no matter what any test results were but OH felt differently. We decided to pay for the blood tests and nuchal scan at Claremont as that would give us a much clearer idea of the true risk factor, but there is a quite short 'window' of time you can have these tests done. They're non-invasive so no risk. The combined results came out at something like a 1 in 360,000 chance of having a baby with Down's. So for us we then didn't need to consider any further tests.

A friend of mine told me last week that she came home to find a note shoved through the letterbox from her midwife saying to contact her urgently to discuss the results of her blood tests. Naturally she was very concerned about it until she got to the hospital and found out that anyone with a result of 1 in 250 or less was automatically re-called. The midwife really should have more sensitivity as the only thing people can do in that situation is worry.

Hi,

I hope the test goes well. I had an amnio with babybell. I knew I wasn't going to have a termination but after a long heart to heart with the midwifes I decided that I had to know either way. After I had decided to go ahead the mw did tell me that in the 7 years she had worked on the FMU she had never heard of a miscariage as a result of an amnio. I know when you are faced with this its isn't as black & white as people think.

I know several people who have had the test & all were okay. Now you have made the decision try & take it easy & relax.

I'm keeping all crossed for you

Just to let you all know the amnio was carried out yesterday and my wife said it was not half as bad as she expected. In fact the blood test after was more painful.

She is now resting for a couple of days to help offset the risk of MC.

Anyway we have recieved the results back in under 24 hours and everything is OK. The staff at Jessops we saw yesterday were first class.

We are just now in a funny situation where we are happy and relieved everything is OK but thinking why did we go through with it. I suppose this is common with couples who have had the amnio though.

Thanks for everyones info and good wishes.

hope all is well.

PT

Just to let you all know the amnio was carried out yesterday and my wife said it was not half as bad as she expected. In fact the blood test after was more painful.

She is now resting for a couple of days to help offset the risk of MC.

Anyway we have recieved the results back in under 24 hours and everything is OK. The staff at Jessops we saw yesterday were first class.

We are just now in a funny situation where we are happy and relieved everything is OK but thinking why did we go through with it. I suppose this is common with couples who have had the amnio though.

Thanks for everyones info and good wishes.

Thats good news :).

Try not to think too hard about the why's and wherefores. It's over and done with. Relax enjoy happy, healthy pregnancy.